April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025 -- Romans 3:21-26 -- Grace. (revised and reprinted from 1 year ago)

April 25, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:21-26 ESV

You might already be very familiar with verse 23, but look closely at verse 24, sinners are justified by God’s grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. There is a double emphasis here. Grace is unmerited favor. It is not earned. So, the word grace itself already communicates the fact it is God’s loving, patient disposition toward His people. So grace, by definition, is a gift. However, Paul can't help himself. He underlines it. He calls the justification of sinners God's grace as a gift. It is His divine choice to be show His people good will, instead of the punishment and wrath they so richly deserve. Grace is the profound kindness of God which draws believers back from their sins and by His Spirit working brings them back to Himself. Grace is God’s blessing poured out into every of the life of each one of His people.

When you know the kindness of God and even so have chosen to rebel, and the Spirit makes you aware of your sinfulness, so that you turn from it and run back to God. That is grace.
When you review all your sins, know all your weaknesses, and realize there isn’t anything in you that could ever commend you to God, yet the Word of God teaches you He has set His love on you. That is grace.
When you strive to do good, and your work and words fall short, but the Spirit teaches you that God is not frowning in heaven, but by the blood of Jesus Christ you are wearing the good works of Jesus as your mantle, that is grace.
Grace is the blessing of God, given constantly, steadily, unstintingly, on your life.
Grace is communicated to you by the Spirit’s powerful presence in your life, through the preaching of the Gospel, and the Lord’s Supper and baptism. Grace is communicated to you where there is Christian discipline unto repentance exercised in your local Christian church.

The response to such great grace is a life of praise and thanksgiving to God. Renewed, and ever renewing, desire to respond to grace with acts of loving obedience to God and this by the power of the Holy Spirit. The response to such great grace is a life that shines for Jesus and attracts unbelievers, who see in you great purpose, strength and the favour of God.

Our Father in heaven may Your Name be honoured and adored forever—on earth as in heaven above. Thank You for the free gift of Your amazing grace given to Your people through Jesus Christ. Father in heaven let Your Spirit hold us by the spout where Your grace continually pours out and the kingdom of Christ is all about us. Amen.

https://youtu.be/odKxftGhVRE?si=Fd_B2PbAUgtGRdkl The King in All His Beauty

April 24, 2025

Ap[ril 24, 2025 -- Psalm 119:103 -- Training our Desires

April 24, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psalm 119:103 ESV

It is 11:30am local time and I am tasting my very first sip of coffee for today. Those of you who know me know that is very odd indeed. My usual routine is coffee, first thing, along with my morning devotions. Today is a travel day. Between travel arrangements and deadlines and packing well, the first coffee had to wait. Let me tell you, it was so sweet to take that first sip.
There are many things in life that can be described as sweeter than honey. A perfect sunset after a perfect day. Hearing your child say, “I’m okay” (and that after hearing loud clashes and bang in the other room). The end of a busy day when you are home and unexpectedly in the background your favorite music begins to play. It is quiet in the house, and you can just sink back into your chair and delight in it. Or, you have been on a wilderness trek. After many hours you find you are still a long way from being back at your car, and you’re without food or water. A kind stranger seeing your distress, hands you a sealed water bottle. There is that satisfying crack of the seal and you quench your thirst.

The point the Psalmist is making is that God’s word is sweeter than honey. Better than that first sip of morning coffee. More refreshing than water on a parched tongue. You might be skeptical at this description, thinking it must be hyperbole. Consider the fact that this devotee of God

has been keeping his way pure by the Word of God since his youth (v. 9).
hides the Word of God in his heart so that he will not sin against God (v. 11).
ran to the word when he felt his soul melting away for sorrow (v. 28).
cried out to God according to the Word when others taunted him (v. 41-42).
declares the Word when his heart is full of joy (v. 64).

What is the point I’m trying to make? What do you run to when you need to be soothed? Is it video games? Is it spending money? Is it booze? It is comfort in the arms of your latest fling? Is it living as a workaholic? Do you understand that the word is not sweet to you precisely because you have not trained yourself up in it?!

The word of God is a treasury, a storehouse of blessing to complement your days and adorn your nights. The word of God, wielded by the Holy Spirit, will draw you close to Jesus when your soul is parched. Recalling the word will bring you to tears of joy when all else seems arrayed against you. It is a matter of practice, discipline and persistence.

Gamers didn’t begin spending many hours a day gaming. They began through trial and error with persistence until games that once seemed unbeatable, slowly, through exhausting persistence, became winnable. Then the gamer moves on to the next mountain. But the word lays unattended at their elbow. Basically, I’m telling you you’ve either been diligently training your tastes towards the word of God or doing hard work to avoid the word, keeping it from filling your mind and heart with the true comforts your soul craves.

The problem is, if you have been engaged in a program of Bible-lite reading (you know what I mean, that is a little lite reading here, a verse of two there), you’re starving, Therefore, when life hits you full on in the face, your faith will be weak, cramped and unprepared. It will be hard to find passages that comfort. It is will hard to call out to God when you have only a nodding acquaintance with Him. The word can not be sweet to you because you have not trained your desires toward Him.

Even the most diligent student of the word needs to constantly preach the word to his soul. He repeats that the word is wonderful to him (v. 129). He has basked in the shining presence of God through his dedication to the word (v. 135). Even so, at the end of his praises and devotion, he confesses “I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget y our commandments” (final verse 176). Ultimately it is Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the word. Jesus Christ is the word incarnate—God in the flesh. The study of the word leads the believer into delightful relationship with Jesus. For our part it is a hard-won relationship. Like good friends who require you to truly invest yourself in the relationship for it to grow, so we, lost sheep, constantly needing our Savior’s rescue, must turn to Him. Seek Him. Make time for Him. Long for Him. Train our desires for Him. Know Him as sweeter than honey.

Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know You, and desire nothing save only You.
Let me hate myself and love You.
Let me do everything for the sake of You.
Let me humble myself and exalt You.
Let me think of nothing except You.
Let me die to myself and live in You.
Let me accept whatever happens as from You.
Let me banish self and follow You, and ever desire to follow You.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in You,
That I may deserve to be defended by You.
Let me fear for myself.
Let me fear You, and let me be among those who are chosen by You.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in You.
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of You.
Let me cling to nothing save only to You,
And let me be poor because of You.
Look upon me, that I may love You.
Call me that I may see You, and for ever enjoy You. Amen.
Prayer of St. Augustine, “Prayer for Self-Knowledge”

https://youtu.be/8wfhhFHMgxY?si=S68Zcn3sbLa39UtJ Jesus is Mine

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025 -- Philippians 4:1 -- Follow the trail

April 23, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Philippians 4:1 ESV

For the last eight verses Paul has been urging the believers at Philippi to focus on the goal, the upward prize of knowing Jesus Christ. He gives a final summary to keep going in this direction as in the next sentence the letter will take a different direction. It is his clear warning to avoid idolatry, any substitute Christianity.

You might feel a bit smug and secure here. I am a Christian and faithful. Are you really? Consider these words:
Some of us attend the church on the corner, professing to worship the
living God above all. Others, who rarely darken the church doors, would
say worship isn’t a part of their lives because they aren’t “religious,”
but everybody has an altar. And every altar has a throne. So how do you
know where and what you worship? It’s easy. You simply follow the trail
of your time, your affection, your energy, your money, and your allegiance.
At the end of that trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever,
is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what
you worship. Sure, not too many of us walk about saying, “I worship my
stuff. I worship my job. I worship pleasure. I worship her. I worship my
body. I worship me.” But the trail never lies. We may say we value this
thing or that thing more than any other, but the volume of our actions
speaks louder than our words. In the end, our worship is more about what
we do than what we say.
Louie Giglio, as quoted by Brad Bigney, in
“Gospel Treason: betraying the gospel with hidden idols” page 117.

Spend a few minutes today and follow the trail. Ask yourself, what can easily displace my schedule, my plans, my finances. What is it that upsets my thoughts, my attitudes, my mood? When you’ve encountered your idol, whatever it is, are you prepared to tear it down so that you will stand firm in the Lord?

O Father,
Thou hast made man for the glory of thyself,
and when not an instrument of that glory, he is a thing of nought;
No sin is greater than the sin of unbelief,
for if union with Christ is the greatest good,
unbelief is the greatest sin, as being cross to thy command;
I see that whatever my sin is, yet no sin is like disunion from Christ by unbelief.
Lord, keep me from committing the greatest sin in departing from him,
for I can never in this life perfectly obey and cleave to Christ.
When thou takest away my outward blessings,
it is for sin, in not acknowledging that all that I have is of thee,
in not serving thee through what I have, in making myself secure and hardened.
Lawful blessings are the secret idols, and do most hurt;
the greatest injury is in the having, the greatest good in the taking away.
In love divest me of blessings that I may glorify thee the more;
remove the fuel of my sin,
and may I prize the gain of a little holiness as overbalancing all my losses.
The more I love thee with a truly gracious love the more I desire to love thee,
and the more miserable I am at my want of love;
The more I hunger and thirst after thee, the more I faint and fail in finding thee,
The more my heart is broken for sin, the more I pray it may be far more broken.
My great evil is that I do not remember the sins of my youth,
nay, the sins of one day I forget the next.
Keep me from all things that turn to unbelief
or lack of felt union with Christ.
“Union with Christ” from Valley of Vision

https://youtu.be/Uibmo9aQAlQ?si=cJlXls9yLJEwuICW Whiter than snow

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025 -- Philippians 3:20-21 -- Jesus Will Return

April 21, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Philippians 3:20-21 ESV

These are soaringly hopeful words. Our battle against our own fleshly lusts, against the devil, and against the deadening influences of the world will come to an end. We know that Jesus Christ has won the victory at the cross, it was confirmed by His resurrection from the dead, and now He is seated in power at the right hand of God.

When you are facing temptation, remember that you are guarded by the Holy Spirit, kept for Jesus against the day when your lowly, sin-prone body, will be set free from all sin. We are given such a glorious picture of what is ahead that we are thereby encouraged to keep going. Battle-scarred though you might be in your fight against sin, remain steady. Fight the good fight of our glorious faith.

Paul gives the pathway of victory here in these two short verses. Jesus has all authority. That is true already now. His followers, filled with the same Spirit that filled Jesus, are given divine power to defeat sin. Jesus has all authority. He is subjecting all things to Himself—even death will one day be subjected to Him and it will end. There will be no more death. Those who are hell-bound ought to tremble at the thought of this! They will remain alive in the torments of hell for ever. Those who are captivated by Jesus must be so encouraged by that thought—life everlasting in the presence of the Redeemer-King. There will be no end to our glorious delight in knowing Jesus, Who is infinitely wondrous, holy, beautiful, kind.

Spend time reading your bible and reflecting on Who Jesus is. Read the word and know that He will not leave you. “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). How encouraging those words are. Spend time praying on that. Thanking God the Father, that He has seen fit to bring you to Christ, and by the Holy Spirit He is ensuring every good purpose He has for you will be accomplished.

When I was a child various relatives from the Netherlands would visit. This was a source of great excitement. They were wonderful, loving (and usually had presents for us kids). We’d count the days until the family would visit. That childish excitement is now magnified and multiplied many times over. Now we await the Captain of our Salvation. Who will soon appear. He is our joy. He is our song. He is our victory. He is our salvation. As eagerly as a child, awaiting the visit of a much-loved family members, so eagerly and even more so, do we await Jesus’s return. All our days and all our actions and all our thoughts are filled with the consuming desire, return quickly Lord Jesus!

O Son of God and Son of Man,
You were incarnate, did suffer, rise, ascend for my sake;
Your departure was not a token of Separation but a pledge of return;
Your Word, promises, sacraments, show Your death until You come again.
That day is no horror to me, for Your death has redeemed me,
Your Spirit fills me, Your love animates me, You Word governs me.
I have trusted You and You have not betrayed my trust;
waited for You, and not waited in vain.
You will come to raise my body from the dust, and re-unite it to my soul,
by a wonderful work of infinite power and love,
greater than that which bounds the oceans’ waters, ebbs and flows the tides,
keeps the stars in their courses,
and gives life to all creatures.
This corruptible shall put on incorruption,
this mortal, immortality,
this natural body, a spiritual body,
this dishonoured body, a glorious body,
this weak body, a body of power.
I triumph now in Your promises as I shall do in their performance,
for the head cannot live if the members are dead;
Beyond the grave is resurrection, judgment, acquittal, dominion.
Every event and circumstance of my life will be dealt with –the sins of my youth,
my secret sins, the sins of abusing You, of disobeying You Word,
the sins of neglecting ministers’ admonitions,
the sins of violating my conscience –all will be judged;
And after judgment, peace and rest, life and service,
employment and enjoyment, for Your elect.
O God, keep me in this faith, and ever looking for Christ’s return.
“THE SECOND COMING” The Valley of Vision.

https://youtu.be/w98-VuKi-4Q?si=Ra9wICUwMw3L4JoH Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending

April 18, 2025

April 18, 2025 -- Luke 23:44-46 -- Darkness now Light

April 18, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46 ESV

Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, one striking illustration used in the Bible is that of light and darkness. The descent into sin, Adam and Eve’s fall into sin at the Garden of Eden, means that they and all their descendants walk in darkness. Paul states it clearly: “at one time you were darkness” (Ephesians 5:8). There is only one time in my life when I experienced true, inky darkness that can be felt, and that was when I went to the Potash Mine. That was many years ago, when my family and I lived in Saskatoon. While the string of bulbs was illuminated, there were lots of shades and it felt eerie, I must confess I was unprepared for the depths of the darkness that you experience when you are deep in the earth, and there is no light whatsoever. We were sons and daughters of disobedience. We were darkness. If you do not understand this, then the work of Jesus is incomprehensible for us this Good Friday.

Darkness covered the whole land where Jesus was crucified. It was the darkness of the Egyptian plague. It was the darkness of sin. It was darkness that was clear evidence of how soiled and foul the human heart, mind and soul are. It was a darkness that lasted from noon until 3pm. The brightest part of the day, when the sun is at full height and shadows are almost gone, darkness prevailed. Do you understand it was the darkness of Jesus, Who knew no sin, becoming sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.

The contrast in you, from the old life to the new is as dramatic as being in a dark mine shaft with no source of light, to standing in the brilliance of the noon-day sun. There is no half and half. In Christ we are standing in light that increasing from the dawning of it to the full splendor of noon day. That is the distinction between justification, when God declares you not guilty because of the work of Christ, and sanctification, the need for the on-going cleansing from patterns of sin. The true believer can not cloak himself in utter darkness. Sin will have already, because of the radiance of Jesus, become hateful darkness. Surely Christians can backslide, but even then, it is with the awareness one is going toward darkness, though one is light. A non-Christian finds this confusing and difficult to comprehend. I can understand the world, God, and myself. I don’t need an interpreter. Having become so accustomed to the darkness, such a man moves like an eyeless newt living in cave darkness, where other senses have become heightened to compensate for the blindness. When Christ the true light appears, all that is false will be obvious. Forever.

Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, be honest. Even as those who are justified, who have been declared innocent in Christ, it is still tempting to create idols. It is tempting to cut God down to a more manageable size. We are afraid of the suffering and the chiseling work of the Spirit which is absolutely necessary to break down our idols and destroy our old concepts of what we think God is like. What we think He will or will not tolerate. However, we often are afraid to go to the Word itself and let it shine, penetrating to our every soul, so that whatever is unclean, whatever is unworthy, whatever is impure will be revealed, cut out, and cast away from us. Good Friday worship services invite the believer to bask in the light of Christ, to have the puny idols of our lives exposed. We do not desire a form of Jesus, or a kind-of-Christ—we long for Him pure and rising with healing in His wings. The Lord to Whom all the nations will come and through Whom all live in the light of life.

Why is this so difficult? It is my great privilege to officiate at weddings. It is incredibly common for a groom, who sees his bride for the first time to stare briefly and then turn away. We are so fragile, so used to humdrum and ordinary, that when we glimpse the extraordinary, we are amazed and can’t contain our joy. Jesus is our bridegroom. He is illumination beyond whatever we have ever experienced before. Our small glimpses and beholding Him squintingly are all we can manage in this life. Worship reorients our senses. Gathering in the presence of His great life-and-light giving splendour make us almost panicky at how much we need to change and be transformed. The glory of God revealed at Good Friday, is that the work is well underway. God Who has appointed men and women for life in Christ, will prepare each one for every stage of growth in holiness. It begins, like it began for the centurion at the cross, with the simple confession, “Surely this man was innocent”. For us, surely Jesus Christ is the light of life. Amen.

O Lord God, Who inhabitest eternity,
The heavens declare thy glory, The earth thy riches, The universe is thy temple;
Thy presence fills immensity, Yet thou hast of thy pleasure created life,
and communicated happiness;
Thou hast made me what I am, and given me what I have;
In thee I live and move and have my being;
Thy providence has set the bounds of my habitation, and wisely administers all my affairs.
I thank thee for thy riches to me in Jesus, for the unclouded revelation of him in thy Word,
where I behold his Person, character, grace, glory, humiliation,
sufferings, death, and resurrection;
Give me to feel a need of his continual saviourhood, and cry with Job, ‘I am vile’,
with Peter, ‘I perish’, with the publican, ‘Be merciful to me, a sinner’.
Subdue in me the love of sin,
Let me know the need of renovation as well as of forgiveness,
in order to serve and enjoy thee for ever. I come to thee in the all-prevailing name of Jesus,
with nothing of my own to plead, no works, no worthiness, no promises.
I am often straying, often knowingly opposing thy authority, often abusing thy goodness;
Much of my guilt arises from my religious privileges, my low estimation of them,
my failure to use them to my advantage,
But I am not careless of thy favour or regardless of thy glory;
Impress me deeply with a sense of thine omnipresence, that thou art about my path,
my ways, my lying down, my end. Amen.
Valley of Vision: “GOD THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD”

https://youtu.be/tWeXVnRm6R8?si=FGHaxT9recj-w3Tn Light of the World

April 16, 2025

April 16, 2025 -- Philippians 3:18-20 -- Who or what do you worship?

April 16, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ
Philippians 3:18-20 ESV

What is it you worship? Paul is pressing the Philippians to consider this critical question. He is writing to a congregation that has faithfully supported him financially. Sent to him Epaphroditus as a support, their messenger and minister to Paul’s needs. Yet, in great love and like the true shepherd of their souls he is, Paul is asking a most important question, willing to endure it if they are offended by this question: what are you worshiping?

Notice the evidence of false worship. Walking as enemies of the cross of Christ. Now, he is writing church attenders. They might be shocked and prepared to give “proof” of their dedication. However, Paul won’t let them, or us, off so easily. Are they undermining the work of the gospel through the neglect of the means of grace (preaching of the word, sacraments, and Christian discipline)? Are they ignoring the word of God in their daily life or failing to pray? These are some of the signs that one is walking as an enemy of the cross. When he notes their god is their belly, he is saying such people pursue their own pleasures before they pursue Jesus. The pleasures of feasting. The pleasures of sports. The pleasures of fame. The pleasure of applause by others. They indulge their sexual fantasies. In one or more of those ways, they are pleasure-seekers, looking after their wants to the detriment of their walk with God and walk with fellow Christians who would hold them to account.

To pursue earthly things is a very damning statement. Jesus demanded that His true followers seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). It is not possible to make worldly possessions, homes, cars, a big bank account, and such things your priority while simultaneously pursuing Jesus. What Jesus demanded He also modeled. He was homeless, wandering preacher. He had no bank account. He had no stable of horses and chariots, though He was King. What was His priority? It was to serve His Father in heaven in all things. In fact, Jesus said it was His food to do the will of His Father in heaven (John 4:34).

Paul reminds the Philippians their citizenship is in heaven. Their first and most important priority is serving Jesus Christ. In Him we are named sons and daughters of God. In Him we have the grace we need to face the joys and sorrows of this earthly life. In Him we have been equipped by the Holy Spirit so that our priorities are ordered aright. In Him we have a longing for heaven, where we will spend eternity in the Presence of Jesus, Him Whom our souls love. If that is not appealing to you now, then it is quite possible you have a wrong set of standards. You are pursuing earthly things first while trying to hang on to Jesus. I warn you; you are being pulled in two directions, and you will be torn apart.

We await the Savior. Who has rescued us from our earthly lusts and the sins which continually drag us down to hell. We await the Lord, in Whose service we find the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and righteousness. All of these are evidence we are abiding in Jesus. We await the Christ, He who was anointed to serve perfectly so that He, as the Lamb of God, took away the sin of the world. In Christ we make a permanent break with our past. We are once-for-all justified in Him. Now, growing in holiness, growing in dedication happens in these ways. In Christ we receive the Holy Spirit, so that we confess our sins, our daily sins, our hourly sins, our persistent sins. By the Spirit such sins become more odious to us. By the Spirit we turn away from such sins and walk more fully in the citizenship that is ours in Christ. By the Spirit our souls find comfort in the Word and our heart’s desire is to walk with Jesus. If you are not experiencing this, I urge you to speak with a Christian friend whose walk with God you admire and get right with God. If you are walking in this way, I urge you, be prepared for people in your life who the Spirit leads to you, people who claim to be Christians but need to have their false worship exposed.

God the Father, Lord of all Truth and Righteousness, by Your Spirit help us to see the places in our lives where we are lying to ourselves about our dedication to Jesus. Break the strongholds of sin that still linger in us. Renew in us a holy desire to worship Jesus, with all we have and all we are. Spirit of God, give us the holy courage we need so that we will follow through, even when peers and co-workers, friends or even fellow church members scorn our obedience. Amen.

https://youtu.be/Rf8vNFEdmTM?si=tP7tpzlmEXtNaa9D When Christ our Life Appears

April 15, 2025

April 15, 2025 -- Philippians 3:1-3 -- To Glory in Christ Jesus

April 15, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
Philippians 3:1-3

We are the circumcision. What has been circumcised is not our flesh, but our hearts. The seat of our love, our decision-making, and our thought processes. Our heart has been circumcised by the work of Jesus Christ. Think of it this way, the thumb drive which instructed the computer has been pulled and the new thumb drive has been inserted. It is virus-free. It is wholesome. It will direct the computer into full and proper function. When the believer is in Christ, everything changed. No wonder you can’t help but change your words, your thoughts and your actions.
Now, I know it, we are not computers. But I like the illustration, we are given this new thumb drive, a whole new way of living. By the will of the Father, through the accomplished work of Jesus at the cross, and the accompanying power of the Holy Spirit we are the circumcision. We have been given power to obey, but we chose if we would obey or rebel. What will help believers implement the new life that is theirs in Christ?

We worship by the Spirit of God. Jesus already foretold this in John 4, when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well. She wondered what would change when the long-promised Messiah presented Himself to His people? Jesus answered. He declared believers would worship in Spirit and in Truth. The Spirit would be poured out on all people (Pentecost). The Spirit of God would make the word of God living, precious, relevant to each person who allows himself to be governed by the new drive given us in Christ Jesus. The Spirit Who rested fully, without measure on Jesus, is the same Spirit Who fills you.

We glory in Christ Jesus. It seems like a throw-away phrase, doesn’t it? Remember the word glory carries with it a sense of weightiness. It is interesting what has weight, or pull, in our lives. For example, the desire to spend time with good friends will, for some people, make them rearrange their schedule, neglect important duties, to create more time for friends. The weight of the friendship, the glory of the friendship, takes precedence. To glory in Christ Jesus is to have Him be the weightiest Person governing our schedule. Our worship revolves around Him. By His blood we have access to God the Father. As we think about Him, the poison of our sinful past is revealed to us with more clarity, and we are heartily ashamed of all our sinning. We desire Him to cleanse us more fully and deeply. We are saved. But we want the effect of that salvation to reach every part of our lives. That is sanctification.

Our confidence is not in our flesh. It is not in our ability to keep the law. Our identity is found in Jesus Christ. We are the people who rejoice in Him because He is our rescue story. We are alive in Christ and our life now draws others who are dead in their sins and trespasses but are now stirred up by the Holy Spirit to seek out that new life they see in us. That wonderful expression in Christ that Paul used so often reminds us it is the Spirit of God Who stirs in us an ever-increasing longing hope that the glory of Jesus will fill our desires, orient our senses and compel us to act in ways that show we are walking with Him to the New Jerusalem.

Faithful Father blessed be Your Name for the extravagant love You have shown us in Christ Jesus. Spirit of God teach us deep and true worship so that we will glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. As this new life which is ours in Christ fills us and directs us, may the people around us note how we rejoice in Christ Who is our strength, our song and our salvation. Amen.

https://youtu.be/zmt5VNnrJIM?si=NGpDWENOwZOVYdd0 I Stand Amazed

April 14, 2025

April 14, 2025 -- Proverbs 12:22 -- The lies in the dire wolf de-extinction story

April 14, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Proverbs 12:22 ESV

It is amazing how quickly a lie can spread. People are ever so ready to receive the latest hyped-up claim and pass it along. When the news is exposed as exaggerated, or worse as an outright lie, then there is embarrassment and a readiness to move to the next “it” thing. Take the over-the-top claim of a bio tech firm that has trumpeted the news it de-extincted the dire wolf.

Okay, first some background. The dire wolf went extinct long ago. A fact checker website will tell you the dire wolf is closely related to the jackal, not the gray wolf. There was no dire wolf DNA spliced into gray wolf genetics to produce the three pups recently born. So, what happened? Gray wolf genes were edited at certain points to produce a designer version of the gray wolf. It is not a dire wolf.

Why does any of this matter?

The bio-tech company is playing at being a god.
The bio-tech company is lying about what it produced.
The people who hear the reports are caught up in a huge lie.

The fact is many more lies are bound up with this. The lie of evolution—the goo via the zoo to you lie of our world is the over-arching background narrative. Either everything created itself out of nothing (the bangingest lie of our unscientific world today) or God created all things out of nothing. The “de-extinction” of the dire wolf is a lie that is meant to support the even bigger lie of evolution. The philosophy behind evolution expects if there is no god, there is no one to whom humanity needs to be accountable.

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD precisely because lies are in direct opposition to God, Who is Truth. Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD in this instance of the fake news about the dire wolf because perpetrators of this lie seek to reinforce the greater lie that there is no god governing this world. Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD because they serve to distract ordinary people from seeing the truth that this world belongs to God. He has created it. He governs it by His power. It is a world full of lies and sin and the Father sent Jesus to expose the sins and lies of our hearts so that in humble confession we would turn away from our sinfulness to God. Finally, the Spirit uses stories, like this one about the dire wolf, to help Christians teach the Truth in a way that is concrete and relevant.

Father in heaven, let Your word sink deep into my heart, mind and soul. By Your Spirit teach me what is true so that with holy boldness I can effectively witness to Jesus Christ Who is the way, the truth and the life. Amen.
https://youtu.be/oxpPIa-BskY?si=mp6oL-xcdplUDZwO All I once held dear

April 11, 2025

April 11, 2025 -- Philippians 3:18 -- Frenemies

April 11, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Philippians 3:18 ESV

So, Paul makes it clear there are two kinds of walking. Those who walk according to the example they have in Paul, Timothy and faithful leaders. Then there is walking according to the standards of the world, that is walking as enemies of the cross. Note that Paul is telling the Philippians this with tears. In fact, the word tears is much stronger, it can be translated lament and wailing. These are likely people he knows, and people the Philippians know. These are people who seemed, for all to appearances, to be fellow Christians and part of the assembly. But their words and their actions prove them to be enemies.

The word enemies mean people whose actions are odious, hateful, and strongly opposed to. They are engaging their strength, their minds and their words towards undoing the work of Christ. Where Christ brings reconciliation and peace, these enemies are sowing discord and violence and disagreements. You know the expression “walk the talk”, right? That is what Paul is expecting. Christians are supposed to walk the talk. Hard times and good, lean times and fruitful, riches and poverty, freedom and persecuting times Christians are to walk in close fellowship with God and with one another.

But over the long term, a man or a woman who appears to be a Christian, but is an enemy will, by their lack of faithful commitment to Jesus, especially when the going is tough, show they are enemies. Paul laments this because such faithlessness means there has been a betrayal. Where there’d been a closeness now there is fracturing, tearing at the wound where once there’d been sweet fellowship together in Jesus Christ. Snide words. Giving withheld. Refusal to be reconciled. Unwillingness to be faithful to the clear directives of the word of God. Neglecting the fellowship. All signs of those who are haters of the cross of Christ.

The cross of Christ is supposed to be the focal point. The cross of Christ is where our sins are imputed to Jesus and in exchange His righteousness is given to us. The cross of Christ is precisely the place where believers put to death their rebellious attitudes. Paul wept and continues to groan with tears because those who were supposed to be reconciled and had for a time appeared to be followers of Christ, now show hardness and unwillingness to receive the grace of Jesus. Their wickedness ripples through the congregation as believers strive to be faithful to Jesus despite fighting the works of the devil outside and now even within the fellowship. Such rebellious people are either shepherded back to Christ or are cast out of the sheepfold as wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Father in heaven, thank You for Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Thank You, Spirit of the Living God, for the ways in which You have conquered our rebellious hearts and renewed our minds so that the cross of Christ is sweet and beautiful to us. As enemies to the cross of Christ are exposed among us, or even our own actions are exposed as odious, Spirit of God bring us to our knees in humble repentance. May all our tears be wiped away and replaced with an abiding joy in the Lord which reinvigorates whole-hearted, committed service to Jesus. Amen.

https://youtu.be/9zGbdg1YCYY?si=nAAJU5HIUBDUOwrG Afflicted Saints to Christ Draw Near

April 09, 2025

April 9, 2025 -- Philippians 3:17 -- Imitate who?

April 09, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
Philippians 3:17 ESV

What a statement for Paul to make. He is telling the people in his church plant to follow his example. They’ll know the story of Paul’s conversion. How he was on the way to Damascus, prepared to persecute the followers of Jesus in that area, when Jesus appeared to Him in a vision. At that time his name was still Saul. He was blinded him. The voice of Jesus, so loud but unintelligible to his companions, clearly informed Paul he was persecuting Jesus.

The man formerly named Saul (which means asked for) becomes Paul (small, humble). He was prayed over by a Christian, Ananias—it is likely not too much of a stretch to think Ananias might have been one of the very men Saul/Paul expected to arrest and humiliated bring back to Jerusalem. Now little Paul needs the ministry of the very man he’d just a few days before, gladly arrested and tormented. The disciples of Jesus were afraid of Paul. It was Barnabas who brought Paul into fellowship with the other disciples. Mighty Saul became humbled Paul as he tumbled from his high in the eyes of the world position of persecutor, to the lowly one of being persecuted. In fact, that is why he is in prison at the time of writing Philippians—he is imprisoned because of his boldness for Jesus. He lost everything the world valued, in order to gain Jesus. He exchanged everything that is now wasting away, for that which is eternal. He would know Jesus Christ more and become like Him in His death so that in Christ he would attain the resurrection from the dead.

Are you willing to accept the loss of everything for the sake of Jesus? Are you willing to lose your reputation, your finances, or whatever else it is you hold dear so that the glorious Name of Jesus will be exalted in you and through you? Does your life reflect that now? Respectfully I’d ask you to examine your heart and life-style: what else are you holding onto so tightly that you can not hold onto Jesus?

Who do you admire? Who do you keep your eyes on as a worthy example of the faith? Be prayerfully aware that even the most godly of men will have flaws and sins which ought not to be imitated. Ask the Spirit of God to show you what is good and worthy of being imitated and what in the person you admire is not admirable or excellent. Our glorious Lord will allow you to see the faults and sins, even in very respectable people, so that you do not idolize them, or put your confidence in them, instead of placing all your hope and trust in Jesus.

A worthy example of faith is someone who is striving toward the goal, the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. A worthy example of faith is someone who is secure enough to say, “Imitate me in the areas where you see Jesus exalted in me, and be aware that my example can never be perfect, so reject whatever is not Christ-like.” An even greater example is a brother or sister, who having been made aware of something that is sinful will be prepared to examine it, confess what is wrong and humbly seek to be reconciled to God and others.

Father in heaven, thank You for the gift of Jesus through Whom believers have abundant and reconciled life with You. Blessed Father, direct Your people by the Holy Spirit so that we will be more and more like Christ. Teach us, Holy Spirit, to walk in the way of Christ, with courage and perseverance. Amen.

https://youtu.be/odKxftGhVRE?si=he8IYTp5_M0cCLDw The King in All His Beauty

April 08, 2025

April 8, 2025 -- Philippians 3:16 -- What Do You Want Most?

April 08, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Philippians 3:16 ESV

Whenever interpreters translate the Bible (now specifically the New Testament) from Greek into English, choices have to be made so that the range of meaning of a word will be accurately conveyed. The verb “hold true” has the meaning of walking in row or in line with others as well as a metaphorical sense of progress. It is in the aorist, which means the verb is a past action which has a continuing present implication. One other key place where this verb is used is Galatians 5:25, just after Paul has described the Fruit of the Spirit, he commands the people to “keep in step” with the Spirit. I like that latter sense, to keep in step. Some translations option to use that expression here in Philippians also.

Paul has expressed his very personal testimony that he does not think he has already obtained the knowledge of Christ and the awareness of the power of His resurrection as fully as he’d like to know Him. He still sees the goal ahead of himself, to be more fully united with Christ and more gloriously joined with those people who have the same goal. That is, walking in step with other people who desire the same things.

What you must understand by Paul’s teaching is how much better than anything and greater than any other relationship is the knowledge Jesus and living in relationship with Him and His people. How often we read of famous people who at the height of fame or at the pinnacle of their prowess find themselves empty and life meaningless.

Dear brothers and sisters, let me ask you, where are you at in your walk with Jesus? Are you pushing forward, walking with other Christians who inspire you to go further with Christ? Or do you find yourself looking for the next thing? The next moment of excitement? If it is the latter, I wonder, are you really pursuing Jesus as He is revealed in the Bible? If Jesus needs to be presented with bouncy castles, strobe lights and crazy music, or sporting events I wonder if we as Christians have lost the thread? Perhaps in such instances Christians are being invited to follow a caricature of Him, something that always needs to be bigger, better, brighter —at least humanly speaking.

Song of Songs notes that Jesus, our beloved, is altogether lovely. There is no one who can compare to Him. He Who created all things and sustains them by His power, He is your life’s greatest good. He is blessedness beyond compare. I would respectfully suggest if you do not find Him to be such, you need to dive into the Word again and ask the Spirit to show you Jesus, as He truly is. Nothing, no other thing in this world you can desire could ever compare to Him. Hold on tight to all you have obtained in Jesus Christ and continually desire more of Jesus, more of His Word, more of His Spirit’s presence in your life, more fellowship with Christians whose walk is God is truly admirable.

Father in heaven, by Your Holy Spirit, teach me once again to rejoice in Jesus Christ. To find in Him all my life’s greatest good. Reveal to me what has been interfering with my walk with God, and help me to throw down that idol, that distraction, that hindrance so that Jesus will be all in all to me. Amen.

April 06, 2025

April 6, 2025 -- Philippians 3:15 -- You who are mature and maturing

April 06, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Let those of you who are mature this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Philippians 3:15 ESV

When you look at the last fourteen verses, you’ll read some very harsh words. Paul warned the people who were hearing this letter to look out for the dogs, the evil doers, the mutilators of the flesh. He reminded his readers to anchor their lives on Christ Jesus and His death and resurrection. Any other hope, any other appeal for salvation is useless. The evil doers and mutilators of the flesh were trying to lead people astray, to trust in Jesus and something else. Then Paul revealed how much he needed to grow and to work out his own salvation, pressing on to make Christ Jesus his own. Why mention this? Simply, you can not argue someone into the kingdom of God, nor force someone to follow Jesus. When the beauty of Who Jesus is reaches past a man’s defenses and takes hold of the heart and inspires his imagination, such a man will turn to Jesus and long to know Him as He is revealed in the Bible and presented through the right preaching of His Name.

How are men guarded against heresy? (Heresy is teachings, doctrine, practices that are opposed to the clear instruction of the Word of God.) First, believers must read the Bible; do this to distinguish real from counterfeit teachings. Know your Bible. By the way, this is a sign of a believer, someone who is hungry to read and know the word of God. Second, believers must connect themselves with a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching group of believers. Look for a group of people who strive to live in faithful obedience to Jesus. Third, those who are growing in the faith will have lapses, sins, and struggles. A true Christian community meets more than just on Sundays, but in gatherings large and small through-out the week encouraging, praying, meeting, visiting. sharing with those who have needs so that the whole body of Christ is built up. They will correct the error. They will help you to expose your sin and hate it more and more. Finally, there must be Christian discipline as well. The mature helping the weak in the faith. The mature guarding the people of God against heresy. When a person connected with a Christian group persists in sin, even after instruction, rebuke, correction and warning, then that person will be put out of the assembly. There are so many warnings in the Bible against people who seem to be God’s people, but who are in fact ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15-23).

Take the encouragement that is offered here in today’s verse. God will reveal Himself to you. He will by His Holy Spirit bring you to the Bible so that in it you will see Jesus Christ in all His beauty. You will be drawn not to a man’s interpretation but be drawn into all God has in store for you. The Spirit of God, Who was in Jesus Christ in fullest measure through-out His earthly life, that is the same Spirit Who will bring you to Jesus. The Spirit will interpret what is true.

Father in heaven, as instructed by Your Son, we ask that Your wisdom to be given; we seek the knowledge of Jesus. Not Jesus as a concept, or some disembodied truth; but to know the Person of Jesus as the Captain of Salvation. Father in heaven give to us Your Holy Spirit so that we will distinguish between what is true and what only appears to be true. Lead us in the way everlasting so that we will be increasingly more mature in our connection to Jesus and because of this bear fruit that is evidence of a life lived abiding in Him. Amen.

https://youtu.be/zundjUFazfg?si=RG9OU8xqg34TS9ZA Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me

April 04, 2025

April 4, 2025 -- John 17:24-26 -- Who receives the honor and glory?

April 04, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 17:24-26 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

That second passage makes my blood run cold. It is possible that Christians only seem to be Christians. Such may even have fooled other Christians around them. These hypocrites will be exposed when they stand at the final judgment and call out “Lord, Lord” to Jesus. That double repetition is emphasis. That repeating of His Name means a person thinks he is linked to Jesus. Near and dear to Jesus. Look at the evidence he presents to Jesus. He cast out demons. He prophesied. He did mighty works in the Name of Jesus. What is Jesus’s response? “I never knew you”.

Now, look at the first text, the prayer Jesus prayed and as you read it, ask yourself, “What is the greatest purpose, the highest goal of your life?” It is to know Jesus Christ. Just before Jesus is betrayed by Judas into the hands of Romans soldiers and the religious leadership what is it Jesus prayed for? Not for Himself. Not for His own protection. He prayed for you and for me. He prayed that you and I would know our Father in heaven and truly know depths of the love with which He loves us. Park on that for a while. You are loved by God the Father. You are so very precious that He emptied heaven of His treasured Son, beloved from all ages past, so that you and I would know we are loved. Dear to the Father.

No wonder that at the end of time, at the judgment, one’s response can not be, “Look what I did.” That could never be! Consider those standing before Jesus at the judgment seat, boasting “I cast out demons. I prophesied. I did mighty works.” All of this is nothing. It is foolishness and empty boasting. Jesus Himself warned His disciples, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20 ESV) Be warned right now: there will be all kinds of impressive works and mighty deeds and that people will do in the Name of Jesus…but they will not perform them in awe of Jesus nor for the glory of Jesus.

To be brought before the throne of Judgment, where Jesus is, means one will immediately fall to his knees before Him in wonder. He will fall forward, face to the ground in deepest adoration of His Savior. This is He, Jesus, Who died in for me. This is Jesus to Him be all the glory and eternal renown. This is Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who found us, lost sheep that we were. To Him be all the praise. Before Him what can anyone do but repent in dust and ashes for every evil word, thought deed, and inclination of the heart? By His blood my name is written in heaven. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Father in heaven, answer the prayer of Your beloved Son, our Savior. Make known to us your Name and Your love. In response may our lives be lived in humble, joy-filled service to Christ our King, Who brought us to You. Let the Spirit of Truth reveal all our pride, all our groundless boasting and every clinging thing which would cause us to stumble in our love-filled obedience to Jesus. Let the glory Jesus has given to His followers always, immediately, and fully be reflected to You, the source of all our glory, faithful Father. Amen.

https://youtu.be/v289Oj1BbRk?si=EyHOmUZAhNSygUdA Christ the Life of All the Living

April 03, 2025

April 3, 2025 -- Philippians 3:13-14 -- Faithfulness

April 03, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Brothers, I do mot consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

Dear people of God, if someone asked you what is faithfulness—how would you answer? You might begin by noting it is the fruit of the Spirit—according to Galatians 5:22 the seventh of nine parts. I am inclined to think of faithfulness in these ways. It is the steel the Holy Spirit puts into the spine of the followers of Jesus Christ so that they both know what is right and act on it, no matter the cost financially, personally, or publicly. Faithfulness is the decision to be loyal to Jesus, even when others around you are not.

Paul is not allowing his past to trip him up. He was a murderer. He had a falling out with fellow believers. He is an imperfect man serving the perfect Savior. He does not allow past sins to interfere with his life in Christ. He confessed them before Jesus. He’d doesn’t stew in his jail cell moaning his circumstances and bewailing forgiven sins. Writing to encourage fellow Christians, who loved him and supported him in prayer, finances and by sending a representative, Paul had determined in his heart and mind to be faithful to God no matter his current, bleak-seeming situation.

Paul is determined to be faithful to God, even if there is no applause from others (and there isn’t). Some are actively working against him and his ministry. Yet the prize of his life is the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He wrote to the Ephesians praying that God would strengthen them by the Holy Spirit, so they’d know how wide and long and high and deep is the surpassingly great knowledge of God’s love that is theirs in Christ and to be filled with all the fullness of God. That is the gift of God. The faithfulness Christian moves forward in faith, confident in the love of God and pressing forward to be filled with the fullness of God.

Perhaps the fullness of God can only be poured into Paul, or you, and me, when the hardships of our life have squeezed out of us all our self-importance, self-reliance, and self-help. When we are utterly empty and helpless, then the healing fullness of God and the warming knowledge of His love can finally fill us.

Faithfulness. You know the right thing to do. You know the upward call of God. You know the Word of God is to be read. God has in Christ Jesus invited you to times of prayer so that you will know God, not just intellectually know Him, but with an in-the-guts-yearning to spend time with Him love. Faithfulness is realizing your own poverty, weakness, and how laughable you are in the eyes of the world. Despite this moving forward toward Jesus full-well knowing in His eyes you are so precious. He shed His blood to take away your sins; He prays for you now, not so that your life will be easy, but that your life will conform more and more to the pattern of Who He Is. For in Him you have life and that life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Father in heaven You have, by Your Holy Spirit, equipped us as saints for service to Jesus Christ. Forgive us for the excuses we offer. Forgive us for loving the praise of people more than the hard, and sometimes lonely sacrifice of serving You first, best, and with our all. Father, thank You for Your faithfulness toward Your sons and daughters, persisting in showing us goodness until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Your Son, our Savior. Amen.

https://youtu.be/dmimLJQKQNI?si=QATeoONbrajXggB- God Himself is With Us

April 01, 2025

April 1, 2025 -- Mark 10:17-22 -- Dear friend and dear friend yet to be

April 01, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Mark 10:17-22 ESV

This is an excerpt from a letter I wrote yesterday. The dear brother, currently incarcerated, who received it will recognize it was written to him. There is a dear friend who received a picture of these words as well. They know they are loved. They know the truth of these words. I hope and pray that others, you who are reading this who know me, recognize truthfulness in these words.

One way I disagree with Redemption Prison Ministry is the focus on clients. You
know me well enough to know that this is not know I operate. When I lead a Bible
Study or Overcomers I meet with those who are fellow image-bearers. What we—Christian or not—have in common is the fact that we are precious because we were
made by God. However, there is an additional layer of blessedness that of belonging to Jesus. If someone meets me at the friendship level of being an image-bearer, that is precious. God be praised, when I meet someone who is a fellow believer in Jesus, then the connection is so deep, so real. How sweet and blessed a treasure it is to meet someone else who loves God…to share a passion for Jesus is to immediately have a deep link with another person who has a passion for Jesus.

Why note this? Look at Jesus’s reaction to the Rich Young Man (RYM). He ran to Jesus. Jesus listened to Him. He was arrogant, thinking he’d kept all the laws and commands. Jesus was patient with him. He was far from God. The RYM displayed a knowledge about God, but not knowing Him relationally, personally. Look what the text says next, “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him” (Mark 10:21). Though the RYM turned away from Jesus, rejecting Him, Jesus loved him. It is possible for Jesus to love one who has been made in His image, but also ultimately to judge him worthy of death.

When a man, or a woman, knows himself to be deeply, and truly loved by God, that profound love spills over into genuine interest in, compassion toward, and hope-for-eternal-life for whomever he meets. The fact is, people are not addicts, manipulators, poor, liars, rich, sinners, saints, smart, dumb…people are image-bearers of God. Jesus didn’t meet potential clients. Potential members. He met those who were already bearing His image. He met people who did not realize the glory that being an image-bearer has already conferred on him. When you and I, as those embraced in the love of God, meet others we urgently want them to know God as we know God. When someone rejects us, like the RYM rejected Jesus, we are not crushed or rejected so much as we grieve for the one who misses the chance to know Jesus and His wondrous love.

The RYM went away sorrowful because he had great possessions. That is ironic. You realize that, right? The RYM had nothing because he did not have Jesus, Who alone is this world’s greatest treasure. Jesus is the only treasure that can be truly ours for all time. At the moment of death one is dropped through a trap door, falls six feet, not carrying anything with him, into eternity. Then, for the person who turned away from Jesus, eternity stretches out forever in the torments of hell. No wonder Christians have compassion for their enemies and tormentors and jailors and haters, because we know what horror is in store for them. It is beyond description. Those who in the life belong to Jesus, for them that six-foot drop into the grave is the gateway to eternity. Ah, such eternity, which is unhindered-anymore-by-lingering-sin grace that is imbued with a love that the Father Who made him, has for His beloved one. It will take the power of the Holy Spirit to hold us together and ever more fully equip us for the vastness of such pure love.
Is that what it’s like for you? Do you see people as nothing else but as image-bearers who need to be brought to Jesus and in Him transformed into a glory beyond description? That is the love that compels a Christian to reach out to others.

Glorious Father in heaven, blessed are You! Your steadfast love and mercy are treasure beyond compare. But You offer so much more. You show Yourself to be the Perfect Father. Thank You for the accomplished work of Jesus, Who proved for all to see, the unplumbed depths of Your patient love. Thank You for the Holy Spirit Who equips us, leaky and imperfect recipients of such goodness as we are, so that we can contain the love and mercy and grace You have for us. Majestic God of all that is good, drive us toward all those who are precious to You. Direct us to love fellow-image bearers with such willingness to be wounded for the sake of Jesus, that such men and women will be compelled to join us in calling You our Rock, our steadfast love, our Redeemer. Amen.

https://youtu.be/TxC16duiHvQ?si=wm37Z1hZxqNYflgc O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025 -- Isaiah 58:13-14 -- The LORD's Day restored as delight

March 30, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the LORD honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
then you shall take delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 58:13-14 ESV

In Genesis readers are instructed that God rested on the Sabbath, that is, the seventh day of creation. The LORD our Creator made the day to be a sanctuary in time. Time for God and His people to meet. Delighting in the Sabbath was designed so that inevitably by the observance of it people would delight in the LORD Himself.

In the New Testament the Sabbath is the first day of the week, Sunday. Why? It is the day Jesus rose from the dead. His sacrifice for sin was accepted by the Father in heaven. In Jesus Christ we have new life. We are a new creation. New Testament believers gathered on the new Sabbath, the LORD’s Day, the first day of the week: Sunday.

No wonder our world fights against the Sabbath-Sunday celebration. In the 1970’s and 1980’s Canadian culture systematically fought against the uniqueness of the day God had set apart. Stores were opened. Sporting leagues and ice rinks opened. Finally like in the time of Isaiah, economic, government and cultural forces intentionally defiled the Sabbath. It became a day for pursuing one’s personal pleasure. So, here we are today, delight in the Sabbath, and therefore delight in God Himself, the Giver of the day of rest and gladness is at an all-time low ebb.

We were never designed to go seven days a week. We were made to work, because work itself is both a gift from God and it is something He designed so there is pleasure in the execution of it. Additionally, He gave the day of Sabbath. Rest in Him as a delight. Stop from work. Stop from pursuing your own pleasure, your profit-chasing, your entertainment seeking. A day to realize everything you have and all you are is a gift from Him—your breath, your strength, your talents, your health, everything you are and are able to do is based on His grace to you.

Reclaim the day. Trust God to bless the day. More importantly, trust God that by honouring the Sabbath-Sunday, by attending church, reading your Bible, intentionally seeking Him out, He will do as He promised. He will bless you in the best way possible, by teaching you to delight in Him.

Father in heaven, when You saved Your people from Egypt, and later, once again, when You prepared them to enter the Promised Land, you gave the Ten Commandments. A central feature is the command to keep the Sabbath Day holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Jesus Himself honoured it by in His words and actions, restoring it to be a day of delight in You. By Your Spirit’s presence in me, teach me to delight in the LORD’s Day. Teach me what Jesus knew and modeled so that gracious Father, I will wholly delight in You on the LORD’s Day. Then I will find in You joy and strength, hope and soon salvation’s glad-hearted song will fill the rest of my days and nights. Amen.

https://youtu.be/ZLO9KJv0RlA?si=79fr8KM4sAebZmMQ O Day of Rest and Gladness

March 28, 2025

March 28, 2025 -- Philippians 3:12 -- To know Jesus

March 28, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Philippians 3:12 ESV

The integrity of memorizing Scripture, and therefore seeing how it all hangs together, really proves itself in today’s verse. One chapter ago, 2:12, Paul urged the people of Philippi to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Having been sanctified through Jesus Christ, helped by the Spirit they are to obey God in both will and work. In the last four verses Paul has been sharing his dedicated desire to leave all the things of this world which might entangle him and would prevent him from knowing Jesus and His resurrection power. He is confessing how far short he falls in that desire. He strives precisely because he has not obtained all of this.

He is communicating the already and not yet. In Christ Jesus we possess a righteousness not our own. That is already ours. We are shielded by His righteousness so that God sees us through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. We are already righteous. However, you and I know we are not within ourselves acting in accordance with the righteousness that is our own. We are not yet living out the full righteousness that is ours in Christ. Since we are not yet perfectly in sync with the righteousness given us, we desire more of Christ. More of knowing Him. More of the Spirit to keep in step with Jesus, Who has proved Himself to be better than anything that the world could ever offer.

There is a translation that shows the wonderful verbal parallels which Paul made in the original language. “Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12 NAS). Notice that Paul urgently desires to lay hold of Christ Jesus and through Him to obtain that perfection for which Christ took hold of him. It is Jesus’s prior hold and claim on him which drives Paul to desire Jesus.

“One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet” Proverbs 27:7 ESV. If you are already filled up with the things of this world, then the sweetest thing, (hearing the good news of Jesus Christ and laying hold on Him), is like eyeing dessert when you’ve already had to loosen your belt two notches to accommodate your overstretched full belly. You can’t do it. However, if you lay aside all the things which this earth says will satisfy you, (but as you already clearly know those things don’t ever satisfy you), and set aside all the sins that cling to you, you’ll find that knowing and serving Jesus is truly what your souls craves. He is already laying hold of you. That growing desire to know Jesus proves He has laid hold of you. But it does not yet fully possess all your thoughts and words and actions and desires. But the more you know Jesus, the more you want to know Him—the more you realize He has laid hold on you, the more you want to lay hold on Him and never let go.

Teach us, Good Lord, to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do Your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Adapted from: Divine Service Book for the Armed Forces, “FOR COURAGE”, 1950, page 34

https://youtu.be/dxpPg86cId4?si=1qLTgc1yZFsxjhOm I’d Rather Have Jesus — Selah

March 27, 2025

March 27, 2025 -- John 3:35-36 -- For God so loved the world. Now how will you respond?

March 27, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
John 3:35-36 ESV

You are likely so familiar with John 3:16 that I do not even need to quote it here. However, the text today is closely connected to it. The love of God that reaches people demands a response from every single person on this planet. Jesus Christ is the Father’s fullest and best demonstration of love. The love of the Father took on flesh, became human, and on Him is pinned all the hope of the world. In His hand is life and death. In the hand of the Son is either freedom from the wrath of God or the confirmation that the wrath of God remains on a man.

To say you believe means you have eternal life. That new life is birthed in you by the Holy Spirit. Everything changes. You who were adulterers, idolators, wicked, malicious, angry, greedy, insolent, and disobedient to parents, have been changed. People can say to you, “I remember when you did this. I remember when you acted in that way.” Your response is: “True. That is what I did, but in Christ I am a new creation, the old has passed away, the new life of Jesus has entered in.” How you act now is in sharp contrast to how you used to behave.

To say you believe means your whole way of living is transformed. What is the difference between a child of God and a son or daughter of the devil? It is evident in what a person obeys. If you obey the dictates of the world, if you say one thing, but by your life show something else, you are still under the condemnation of God. One day, when Jesus returns, you will face God’s justice and be thrown into hell. You may protest, “But I believed!”. Here is the truth. What you believe inevitably will show up in how you act.

You can say you believe God is your priority—but you avoid worship in church for sports, for shopping trips, for family times, for sleep. You prove you are your own priority. You can say Jesus is precious to you, but you do not care for widows and orphans in their distress, you ignore the cries of the poor and you don’t care about the immigrants in your land (all these people are, according to Scripture, the ones whom the Christian will care for, having been born again and taking up the same priorities God has). You can say you love Jesus, but your Bible is unread. You see, your actions reveal your core beliefs.

To say you believe in God means that you meditate on all His attributes. He is love. He is holy. He is good. He is just. He is patient. (He is so much more, but you get the idea.) Notice that His love does not override His justice. For love to have shape or meaning, it must be defined. There is a circle of those who are loved and respond to the love of God and another circle of those who are loved by God but those in that other circle hate Him. God demonstrates His love in this way: you have life from Him. You have breath from Him. You live in His beautiful world. You have food from Him. All your suffering is purposeful. You have joys that are courtesy of His goodness. You enjoy seasons as a sign of His blessing. Now, how will you respond? Those who believe in Jesus are so transformed by their gratitude to God. For believers all of life is a response of thanksgiving to Him. Those who want the presents from God, but not His presence, will seek to hoard the blessings but by their actions prove they hate the Giver of every good gift.

Do you believe in Jesus? How does you life prove this? How do your interactions with others, even your enemies, prove this?

Oh, God, my Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You. When I rise from my Bible reading, from times of prayer, let my belief in Jesus be proved by my interactions with people. Spirit of God, help me in every areas of my lfe, in every part of the day, to be utterly dedicated to Jesus. Amen.

https://youtu.be/9rZ8k9m2hwo?si=qb-3ISsjLDFtxvNo Give Me Jesus

March 26, 2025

March 26, 2025 -- II Corinthians 13:5-6 -- Examines yourselves to see whether are you in the faith

March 26, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
II Corinthians 13:5-6 ESV

John Wesley (1703-1791) was a minister, a hymn-writer, and a man with great missionary zeal, who was deeply devoted to Jesus. The list of questions you find below are ones he’d ask himself daily. These are also questions he’d ask his church members. They are penetrating! Certainly they’d fit the command of II Corinthians 13, calling for the believer to examine himself. Scripture itself demands that men and women do not merely intellectually assent to God, but to Him yield head and heart, will and work, yes every area of your life and all your planning. Since it is Jesus Who is our Reconciler and Redeemer, we confess all our wrongdoing to Him so that nothing will hinder our open, ever-growing, relationship with Him. Why confess this to Jesus? He is the way, the truth and life, no one approaches the Father except through Him. Look at the list of questions. As the Spirit shows you what needs to be confessed, go to prayer.

Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence? Can I be trusted?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
Do I grumble and complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?
What temptations were you met with? How were you delivered?

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
Psalm 139:1-3, 23-24 ESV

https://youtu.be/AgvIssCKkV4?si=dI5DBvavw1PZP7tE Shane & Shane - Psalm 139

March 25, 2025

March 25, 2025 -- Micah 6:8 -- Walk Humbly with God

March 25, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 ESV

This verse is so familiar to me. I have preached on it many times. I have memorized it. But this morning I was listening to a Tim Keller podcast on the Fruit of the Spirit: goodness; and in that podcast Keller explained a key word in such a way that made this verse rich to me, all over again. The inspiration for this devotional blog comes entirely from this podcast.

What does it mean to walk with God? It is relationship and it is going somewhere, moving forward. Keller summarized it in these three ways.

Walking with God means your life is totally exposed to Him and you are totally accountable to Him. This in the context of being fully loved by God. His goodness was declared to you perfectly in Jesus Christ. His love for you was so perfectly demonstrated you can expose your worst sinfulness to Him in the confidence He is renewing you by the reconciling work of Jesus Christ.

You are a friend of God. In the Bible to walk with someone meant intimate friendship. To walk with God is to grow in intimacy through Bible reading and prayer; especially prayer which reveals the depths of your relationship.

You are progressing and changing. As you walk you go from your former state of sin, having been cleansed by Jesus, toward the increasing awareness of the goodness of God. The Spirit changes you. You grow in goodness reflecting the brilliance of God’s goodness and love.

LORD, Your steadfast love never ceases; Your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Amen.
(Prayer is Lamentations 3:22-23)

https://youtu.be/eh0bj_tYX1U?si=t6H36bJYd1ABPm0b Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Richard T. Vander Vaart

Richard T. Vander Vaart

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Richard T. Vander Vaart

April 25, 2025 -- Romans 3:21-26 -- Grace. (revised and reprinted from 1 year ago)

Ap[ril 24, 2025 -- Psalm 119:103 -- Training our Desires

April 23, 2025 -- Philippians 4:1 -- Follow the trail

April 21, 2025 -- Philippians 3:20-21 -- Jesus Will Return

April 18, 2025 -- Luke 23:44-46 -- Darkness now Light

April 16, 2025 -- Philippians 3:18-20 -- Who or what do you worship?

April 15, 2025 -- Philippians 3:1-3 -- To Glory in Christ Jesus

April 14, 2025 -- Proverbs 12:22 -- The lies in the dire wolf de-extinction story

April 11, 2025 -- Philippians 3:18 -- Frenemies

April 9, 2025 -- Philippians 3:17 -- Imitate who?

April 8, 2025 -- Philippians 3:16 -- What Do You Want Most?

April 6, 2025 -- Philippians 3:15 -- You who are mature and maturing

April 4, 2025 -- John 17:24-26 -- Who receives the honor and glory?

April 3, 2025 -- Philippians 3:13-14 -- Faithfulness

April 1, 2025 -- Mark 10:17-22 -- Dear friend and dear friend yet to be

March 30, 2025 -- Isaiah 58:13-14 -- The LORD's Day restored as delight

March 28, 2025 -- Philippians 3:12 -- To know Jesus

March 27, 2025 -- John 3:35-36 -- For God so loved the world. Now how will you respond?

March 26, 2025 -- II Corinthians 13:5-6 -- Examines yourselves to see whether are you in the faith

March 25, 2025 -- Micah 6:8 -- Walk Humbly with God

Richard T. Vander Vaart

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